An ominous deplorable of the world’s most corrupt regime once fathomed a Trump presidency, describing Trump earlier last year as a “wise politician” and a right choice for U.S. voters during the 2016 election cycle. Perhaps he should’ve been careful for what he had wished for. His flattering remarks ultimately handed the left ammunition to destroy Trump’s caliber, drawing skewed assumptions of Trump and Kim Jong Un engaging in a bromance. Clever with their disruptive manipulation, the left is at it again. In the wake of President Trump’s “fire and fury” remarks earlier last week, such rhetoric has fomented hyperbolic outrage in America’s political arena. Deliriously, political leaders from all sides came quick to rebuke the president’s statements on the exploitative regime. “This sounds more like a statement from the “Supreme Leader” of North Korea than from the President of the United States,” tweeted democratic representative Kathleen Rice of New York. The constant diatribes from these supposed political unifiers only bluffers our dexterity against this inexcusably notorious regime. President Trump’s firm charge wasn’t the United States’ ultimatum on the subject matter--it was North Korea’s.

As the Cold War came to an end in 1989, North Korea lost security and economic support from Russia. Ever since, the regime has been scheming ways to to build a defense of its own. After decades of failed tactics to halt their nuclear weapons program, President Trump showed that there must be a profound change in approach. Initially, in particular, North Korea’s proliferation of nuclear technologies derived from the Clinton administration in the 1990’s. In 1994, the United States and North Korea signed the Agreed Framework, which in theory, was supposed to restrain Pyongyang’s operation and construction of their plutonium reactor that was doubtedly eyed upon for being part of a covert nuclear weapons program, in exchange for two light-water reactors. With proliferation-restrained nuclear power reactors, the plutonium produced would be under close watch by the International Atomic Energy Agency, therefore yielding North Korea’s hopes in ever constructing a bomb. In the meantime, we supplied the regime with 500,000 tons of heavy fuel oil every year to replenish the loss of the reactor while new ones were being built. Out of disrespect of President Clinton’s diplomacy outreach, North Korea’s nuclear program was clearly crafted for different purposes than what Clinton had in mind. The reactors were connected to a power grid, appearing to churn out mass amounts of plutonium, a key ingredient in producing nuclear weapons. Under the Bush administration, North Korea’s nuclear experiments advanced. Highly skeptical of Clinton’s agreement, Bush eradicated the deal. He terminated missile talks with Pyongyang, spending months designing a new policy. Interestingly enough, it was only until the Bush years when intelligence agencies openly admitted their suspicions towards North Korea, accusing the country of cheating the Agreed Framework by making efforts to develop nuclear material through highly enriched uranium. As a result, Bush sent an envoy to confront North Korea for their infringement. Without their supply of fuel oil under the Agreed Framework, North Korea was removed out of the U.N. inspectors. Largely a slip up, this left North Korea to restart a nuclear plant to begin developing its nuclear weapons by using radioactive fuel rods that were previously under the close watch of the IAEA. With lenient gatekeeping, the regime amassed their production of nuclear, leading to their first nuclear test in 2006. After seeing the unthinkable unleash before their eyes, the Bush administration desperately scrambled to appease the issue, returning to negotiations with Pyongyang. His policy deficiencies even led to tit-for-tat exchanges with Kim Jong II. Once again, out of disrespect, that exchange ended with North Korea labeling George W. Bush as an “imbecile” and a “tyrant that puts Hitler in the shade.” With no corners to turn on, it was almost as if Bush had given up. He later angered many conservatives and our allies by removing North Korea from the State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism. Needless to say, the Bush administration was late in recognizing key transgressions by North Korea. It was only until the end of his tenure that Bush learned North Korea helped Syria build a nuclear facility. In all technicality, the regime crossed the red line that Bush set in 2003, stating that they could not transfer nuclear technology to other parties. However, Bush himself broke his own rules by keeping negotiations open with North Korea. Now it’s Obama’s turn. While we more or less stuck to diplomacy, the United States barely bothered to restart disarmament talks. Diplomacy hasn’t always produced positive outcomes, especially when those on the other side have no intentions of understanding it. In the time of Hillary Clinton’s service as Secretary of State, she praised what was to come of the diplomatic efforts put forward by the former Obama Administration. At her confirmation hearing in 2009, she proudly stated her belief that six-party talks were “a vehicle for us to exert pressure on North Korea in a way that is more likely to alter their behavior,” she said, “we will embark upon a very aggressive effort to try to determine the best way forward to achieve our objections with them.” Unfortunately, that prospect proved otherwise. Strategic Patience efforts further negated the issue, enabling North Korea’s nuclear capabilities to become more of a reality.

Silence is golden.

This led them to master nuclear technologies, such as uranium enrichment and improved missile technologies. While Obama utilized cyber attacks to sabotage North Korea’s missile tests, and hardened our sanctions against the regime, our leverage waned with a series of unfortunate events, which in part, included four more nuclear weapons tests within the span of two Obama tenures. It’s these salient occurrences of blundered policies that led America’s dealings with North Korea to where they are now. Stalemated peace talks have frothed our inclination to cope with the leader upon benign terms. The harebrained hodge podge that we hear from political leaders, decrying President Trump as the enemy, is pure lunacy. After being given years to master nuclear weaponry, the North Korean government declared earlier last week that they’ve made a warhead to fit inside missiles. With that progression, North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, declared the government’s threat to launch four intermediate ballistic missiles into the waters of Guam, acting as a demonstration of its strength by “enveloping fire”. Doing so would also go over western Japan. North Korea threatened us and our allies, not vice versa. Amidst Charlottesville’s mayhem, North Korea swept off the news radar over the weekend. North Korea appears to be back peddling on its threats. Kim Jong Un stated that he would observe the “foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees” a little more before deciding to order a test. He later added, that if the United States continues its “extremely dangerous actions,” on the Korean Peninsula, we would suffer the consequences. In contrary to the fear-toned rhetoric heard on mainstream media outlets, our allies feel secured and are proactively working with the United States. On Monday, after he had a phone conversation with President Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that Japan and the United States “Agreed in our recognition that preventing North Korea from launching its missiles is the most important thing.” Although the newly elected President of South Korea shares different views in handling North Korea, President Moon Jae-In revealed that he shared a strong inclination with President Trump to impose stringent sanctions and pressurizing against North Korea, drawing Pyongyang to negotiations. He then goes on to announce that South Korea “will put everything on the line to prevent another war in the Korean Peninsula.” Diplomacy, harsh tone, and action has accomplished a lot under the Trump administration. The toughest sanctions imposed on North Korea were recently introduced by U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. While it is important to include some forms of diplomacy, it is also vitally important that we’re prepared for the worst. The United States has intentions in settling their threats peacefully, however we are ready to use the “full range” of our military capabilities if this situation goes south. By modernizing our nuclear arsenal and strategizing with our allies, we are reinforcing strength. In our defense, Secretary of Defense James Mattis prompted North Korea to step down or face a retaliation, “that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.” Unabashedly enforcing harsh, direct dialogue was irrefutably necessary. Marine corps General Joseph Dunford is in meetings this week, visiting South Korea, Japan, and China. On Monday, the general met with South Korean military and political officials at an attempt to ease tensions while also showing a willingness to back up President Trump’s warnings if necessary. Above all, Dunford shared that the U.S. is “seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis.” Although the threats are loosened, North Korea has yet to fully step down. How North Korea examines our meetings as an “extremely dangerous action” is questionable. Moreover , the Associated Press reported that a U.S. envoy and his North Korean counterpart have discussed three Americans being held in the regime. However, North Korea says the issue of detained Americans “is not an object to discuss.” With current tensions, we appear to be moving disconcertingly closer to the possibility. With North Korea refusing to cooperate by sending back our people is a dangerous move.

Detained Americans especially doesn’t settle well with President Trump, “we aren’t going to be kissing ass,” he once hollered at a rally during election season. After decades of mollycoddling this diabolic microcosm with meaningless negotiations and aid, the world can’t help but realize that the suffrage of its languished citizens continue to this very moment. It’s been estimated that U.S. taxpayers have given North Korea over one billion dollars in food and energy assistance. Why fund the rogue regime’s nefarious activities instead of thunderously condemning evil? Going unnoticed for years, it was time for the leader of the free world to take the next step in ridding the oppression of the regime’s people; people who live every waking moment pleasing an adversary. Knowing nothing more than its fallacious propaganda, its own citizens remain agnostic to the realities of their derelict, decaying utopia. Stern,striking statements is what gets the message across to pin down evil, not calm, tepid rhetoric the left wishes President Trump had used. The so-called heedless rhetoric the left accuses Trump of, being too “bombastic”, “unhinged”, and too “reckless” is foolish. If all the left has is to accuse President Trump’s rhetoric every time he projects strength, then they really don’t have much to say at all. Both republican and democratic administrations have been made fools, with agreements being violated, ultimately disrespecting our country altogether. We aren’t about to be fooled now. “They’ve been doing this to our country for a long time, for many years, and it’s about time that somebody stuck up for the people of this country and for the people of other countries,” President Trump addressed recently. Trump’s vocality on behalf of those who’ve been robbed of their every right is a win for humanity. To not promulgate the harsh truths, only abets the regime to plague its own by control. It is evidently permissible that the United States takes the next steps in confronting North Korea, a nation where nearly all of its citizens are blindly impoverished-- now, that’s what democracy doesn’t look like.